The Delhi High Court has directed the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to present any evidence it may have against Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in an ongoing money-laundering case related to an excise policy. The court’s move came as part of a hearing on Kejriwal’s plea seeking protection from coercive action by the ED.
During the hearing, the court expressed interest in understanding whether the ED possesses any material evidence against Arvind Kejriwal, given the agency’s claim of having “sufficient material” against the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader.
The hearing commenced at 2:30 pm on Thursday, with the judges requesting files from the Enforcement Directorate in their chambers. Kejriwal’s counsel requested a deferment of the matter, leading the bench, headed by justices Suresh Kumar Kait and Manoj Jain, to pass over his plea temporarily.
Arvind Kejriwal’s petition challenges the multiple summonses issued by the Enforcement Directorate, the ninth of which was scheduled for Thursday. Despite the repeated summonses, Kejriwal has refused to appear before the agency, denouncing them as illegal.
In response to the court’s inquiry about his non-appearance, Kejriwal’s lawyer cited the agency’s alleged intent to arrest him, particularly during election time, as the reason for seeking protection from coercive action.
The case revolves around allegations of corruption and money laundering in the formulation and execution of the Delhi government’s excise policy for 2021-22, which was subsequently annulled.
Kejriwal contends that the enforcement actions against him are politically motivated and intended to manipulate the electoral process in favor of the ruling party at the Centre. He argues that the application of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act in his case unfairly biases the electoral landscape, creating an uneven playing field in the upcoming general elections.
